When the water turned tepid, she made herself get up and get dressed. It was almost time to head to the restaurant, and she didn’t want to be late.
The place was already full of diners when she arrived. The staff entrance was in the alleyway behind the restaurant, but she had to negotiate the crowd on the sidewalk to get to it. One thing about this town, everybody was happy. The other kitchen staff gave her a lukewarm welcome, showed her where to toss her bag, and gave her space at the counter to help prep the dinner service. She chopped so many onions and celery she wondered what the special was, but noticed others preparing like amounts of all sorts of ingredients. The head chef was cantankerous, and she made sure to stay out of his way.
The first time she got near the cooktop was to reduce a beef stock. She happily took on the task, even though it caused some of the other workers to grumble. Apparently, there was a hierarchy she needed to learn. During her first break of the evening, one of the friendlier guys joined her in the alley.
“Hey, new girl,” he said.
“Hey, yourself. I’m Sonny.”
“Chris. So how’s it going so far?”
“I’m not sure. You tell me,” she said.
“Not bad. You could work a little slower, though.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you’re making the rest of us look like lazy bums.”
“I didn’t mean to do that,” she said.
“Of course you didn’t. Just trying to impress the big guy. Look, Chef won’t like you, no matter what you do. You work so hard trying to get his attention, and when you do, it’s only so he can shoot you down. Trust me. Been there, done that.”
“I’m not trying to get any attention. I’m just doing my job.”
“Okay, if you say so. You chop faster than anyone I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“I’m used to having to do it all pretty much on my own. I never had a kitchen full of folks to help,” she said.
“Where’d you work before?”
Adi stopped. She couldn’t just tell him about the Pot. “Just around.”
“Yeah? Not around here, then. Take my advice and slow it down. Some of those guys will kick your butt for trying to brownnose,” he said.
“Thanks. I will.”
“Later.” He walked off down the alley. She watched him go, wondering how many other things she needed to adjust in her cooking style to fit in. She’d get the hang of it before long. Adapting was something that she could handle. The rest of the night was uneventful. She made a point of slowing down a bit, while still doing her best. The glares coming her way lessened, and she felt good about her first service. When she left for the day, Jake gave her a second T-shirt, this one white, and told her to arrive at eleven the following morning. She barely remembered showering again before her head hit the pillow.
Griffith was standing in front of her, a light sheen of sweat from the humid air coating her arms and face. Suddenly, she was wrapped in her arms and Griffith was stretching up to kiss her. The electric feeling racing through her as the kiss deepened, God. She’d never felt anything like this before. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop. She opened her lips slightly and felt Griffith’s lip slide between hers, the soft swell of her tongue as Adi opened her mouth. The tightness as her nipples reacted to their connection. Wetness between her legs and tension in her abdomen. Don’t stop.
Adi woke, aroused and confused. The kiss in the bamboo. She had felt that way, hadn’t she? She hadn’t wanted Griffith to stop kissing her. If only she had kept on kissing her and hadn’t been asking questions Adi couldn’t answer. If only she had stopped looking for the past and stayed with her in the present. Maybe, then, they could have been more.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Griffith watched the headlights illuminate the white strip along the highway. The miles were rolling by, but she still felt like they weren’t moving fast enough. She felt caught in some kind of limbo between the darkness and the roadway. New Orleans was so close, but so far from where she wanted to be. If she could go back and change things, she would. She should have been there when Bertie died. She should have listened when Adi shut down about her past. If she knew then what was coming, she would have found a different path to the truth.
It mattered that Adi face her truth. It was keeping her from truly living, but Griffith hadn’t looked for her truth to help her. At least, not at first. And who the hell am I to force Adi to face that truth? Griffith had forced her way into Adi’s past to gain security for herself. Her reputation was her motivation, not her concern for Adi. What an ass she had been, and she was still far from the answer. She still had no real reason for her running away, although she had a far better idea of the possible terror that Adi had grown up with.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling her out of her head. When she looked at the screen, an email from the DEA popped up. She looked at T’Claude, but he seemed as lost in his thoughts as she had been a moment ago. She looked at the reply.
From: [email protected]
Re: Photo
Need more 411. Call secure (202) 370-1087
M
She should call him, but didn’t want to do that in the car. She sent a reply that she would call as soon as possible. As soon as she hit send, her phone rang.
“McNaulty.”
There was no sound on the line, and she wondered for a minute if maybe it hadn’t rung after all. She looked at the screen and it showed an open connection.
Maybe it’s Adi?
“Adi? Is that you?”
Nothing but silence. She disconnected.
“Was it her?” T’Claude asked.
“No. The call must have been disrupted. There wasn’t anyone on the line.” She tried to shake off the feeling something was seriously wrong.
“Weird. We should be there in about ten minutes. I’m going to head straight to the quarter. That’s most likely where she’d have gone. We can find a couple of rooms once we’re there.”
“Okay.”
They exited I-10 and drove into the French Quarter. The crowds of pedestrians and the narrow roads made going slow. So many people. It would be a challenge to find her here, if this was even where she headed. Griffith hated not having some proof that this was where she’d be, but it was the best option. T navigated through the streets until they hit Canal. He drove toward the river and the hotel zone.
“Look, I’m thinking the Hilton is a good option. They have parking and it’s close to the trolley line. We can cover a lot of the area from there.”
“That’s fine with me.”
Once they figured out the valet parking, they were able to get rooms without much trouble.
“Let’s get freshened up, then meet at Spirits downstairs. We’ll come up with a plan. Say in a half hour?” T’Claude said.
“Okay. I need to call a source, but that should be plenty of time.”
“Yeah, I’ll call my guys here and see if Adi turned up at any of their places.”
Griffith opened her door and tossed her bag onto the bed. She kicked off her shoes and called Mike Hague at the number he’d given.
“Hey, Mike. It’s Griffith McNaulty.”
“What was the purpose of the picture, Griff? What’s your angle?”
“No angle. I ran across J.B. Nerbass while I was doing a story about a runaway. He made all my little hairs stand up, so after our meeting, I followed him. That photo is the man he met.”
“Seriously? You just ‘happened’ to meet with him? Come on, who do you think you’re talking to? This is big and all kinds of ugly. You don’t want to be standing anywhere near this guy when it all blows up.”
“I’m not going to be anywhere near him. Like I said, our meeting was incidental. I just thought you’d want to know who he’s talking to across the border.”
“We know. We’ve been on this guy for the past eight months hoping he would slip up. We don’t have anything concrete to pin him with. This meeting you observed was surveilled by the Mexican DEA
and our operatives there. You want to stay out of the crossfire on this one.”
“He has my number in connection with my story. I can’t help it if he contacts me. What should I do to protect myself?”
“Damn. Can we put a tap on your line? That way we can filter his communication with you and see if it helps us trip him up.”
“I don’t know, Mike, that seems a little much. What are my safeguards?”
“You’ll be kept strictly out of it. You’re just a door, an opening to him on a different playing field. Come on, Griff. This is huge.”
“And how will it work to my advantage to do this?”
“Okay, look. I’ll talk to the coordinator and see what we can work out. It’s possible I might be able to get you an exclusive on the takedown story. Would that work for you?”
“You get me that in writing and we’ll talk.”
Griffith heard him sigh into the phone. “You’ll be hearing from me shortly,” he said and hung up.
So the DEA knows Nerbass is dirty. That changed so much of the story. They would have evidence of his movements from the time he became a suspect. She would be able to give Adi that when she saw her, and maybe that would give her some piece of mind, knowing he was being watched. If his drug activity had anything to do with her running away, she could let go of that fear. Provided Griffith and T’Claude had any luck finding her.
She quickly washed her face and ran a brush through her hair. Not feeling very refreshed, she headed to the bar. Hopefully, T’s connections had some good news for them.
He wasn’t there yet, so she ordered a drink and waited. An email came in with a signed letter from the coordinator of Mike’s team. She had her guarantee, if it was worth anything. She replied that she was willing to be snooped on and promised to call in later. Mike would take care of the details.
Will I even notice they’re listening? Will there be some kind of tell? She doubted it. More than likely Mike had started monitoring her phone as soon as she sent him the picture. They didn’t need her permission, not since nine-eleven. It was a farce for him to pretend they did, but she was happy to go along with it. At least it felt like she had some control.
“Sorry about that. It took longer than I thought.” T’Claude looked as if he’d taken a shower. Griffith wished she’d taken the time.
“That’s okay. Did you find out anything?”
“Some. My friend over at Tujague’s said they have a new hire and Antoine’s has three newbies. We just have to go check them out. We have to plan what we’re going to do, though. If she spots us, you know she’ll bolt again. Especially if she sees you. How’re we going to play this?”
“Can you text a picture of her to your buddies? Then we’ll know for sure if she’s there?”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll do that.”
He sent the photo and they waited for a response.
“It’s her at Tujague’s,” he said when there was an almost immediate response.
Griffith felt a rush of relief knowing Adi was there. She would have a chance to talk to her if they did this the right way.
“So, we should probably find a place where we can watch for her. I think it’s best if she doesn’t know we’re here until we know where she’s staying. That way if we lose her, we know where to go.”
“That feels shady to me. I’ve known her since she was a kid. I don’t feel right spying on her.”
“You said yourself that she’ll bolt if she sees us. How can we keep that from happening? If we know where she’s staying, we know where she might run,” she said.
“But it’s just wrong. I don’t like it. I think we should just show up there after her shift and talk to her.”
“It’s risky,” Griffith said.
“You stay back and spy on her then. If she runs from me, you can follow her,” T’Claude said.
“I’d like it better if we knew ahead of time where she would go.”
“Well, tough. That ain’t happening. I won’t do it.”
“Okay, okay. We’ll do it your way. Just don’t blame me if we lose her.”
“The hell I won’t. I blame you for her not being at home where she belongs.”
He’s right. If not for me, Adi would be at home, but the potential of her past popping up wouldn’t have gone away. But then, maybe her past wouldn’t have ever caught up with her, if I hadn’t come around at all. If I can help the DEA take him down, she’ll be safe. What then? Will she even want to see me? The possibility of losing Adi altogether after this made her ache inside. Their worlds were different, their geography problematic, but she still wanted to know if there was a chance they could build something.
“Fine. Lead the way.”
They walked from the hotel to the restaurant. It was less than a mile. The area was crowded with tourists. It would be a challenge to keep T’Claude in sight, much less watch for Adi. We’ll never be able to follow Adi in this crowd. She was on foot and didn’t know the city. Hopefully, Adi wouldn’t run, but if she did, they were out of luck.
“I’m going to go in and talk to my buddy. You hang out by the right side of the building. The alley runs one way out to there. She’ll have to come past you if she runs.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said.
“Trust me.”
He disappeared into the crowded dining room. Griffith walked to the right side of the place and leaned against the old brick wall. She could see the back area of the restaurant pretty clearly. She watched the door swing open and a guy in jeans and a T-shirt came out for a smoke.
How long do I watch? What if she comes out the front? She moved across the alley so she could watch both doors. Her view was obstructed from this angle, but it couldn’t be helped.
After twenty minutes, Griffith stretched her back and wondered what to do next. Either they were wrong about Adi being there, or she had decided to talk to T’Claude. She’d just started to relax when the back door of the restaurant opened with a bang. Adi flew out the door and directly into her path. She braced herself for impact as she neared, but it never came. Adi skidded to a stop in front of her.
“What are you doing here? Why can’t you just leave me alone? Isn’t it enough that you destroyed my life? Go away.”
“I can’t. How could I know your life was so fragile that one word would send it over the edge? What’s that about? I don’t know everything, but I do know where you started. I know the man who pushed you to run, but I’m not him.”
“You don’t know anything. You just have to keep digging for your damn story. You don’t care who you bury.”
Griffith watched T’Claude approach from behind. He stopped and waited for their confrontation to end.
“You’re wrong. So wrong. I stopped looking at your past for my story and started looking just so I could help you. I kept digging because I care, because living scared is no way to live, and I have the means to help. Okay, the man is damn dangerous. Why face that alone? Why let it continue when you have people who can make it stop? I want to know what has you so on edge that you run from everything you love. You sacrifice yourself out of fear. That’s not living, that’s surviving. You deserve to live.”
“What do you know about surviving? You want to be the rescuer, the hero. You’re nothing to me. You hear that? Nothing.”
The words were like needles piercing her heart, but she wouldn’t give up. “That’s all I, or anyone else, can be to you. You can’t have anything you value when you live your life in fear. That’s what I know about surviving. And it’s one thing if you count me as nothing, but obviously everyone you love is counted as nothing when you drop them and run like you did.”
“Stop. You’re wrong. Just stop.”
“Why? Is the truth so painful you can’t even hear it? Oh, wait, that’s right, you run from the truth.”
“Damn you, Griffith. Stop.”
“Adi, the truth is you ran from something in your life when you were just a kid. You left behind everythi
ng and everyone you ever knew, and probably for damn good reasons. Now you want to do it again, but this time it’s different. This time those you leave behind won’t be left, and you’re an adult, not a kid. We can keep trying to find you, and we’re not heartless and indifferent to your pain. This is your new truth. Get used to it. We care. We love you. T’Claude loves you. Bertie loved you. I love you. Can you get that through your head? Break through those walls and let it sit in your heart? We love you. You’re not alone, and we can help.”
Griffith watched as the words affected Adi. She seemed to pull herself in and started to slip down the alley wall. Griffith reached out and caught her, pulling her into her embrace. T’Claude came from behind and wrapped his arms around them both.
“She’s right, Adi. We aren’t going to let you run away from our lives. If you want to leave us, you’re going to have to tell us to our faces. I, for one, won’t settle for a kiss-off. You are going to have me in your life for as long as forever. The distance between us might be big, but we’re always going to be family,” he said.
Adi didn’t respond with words, but she held them both as though to keep from drowning, and Griffith took that as a good sign. It didn’t matter anyway; she wasn’t going anywhere until this was truly over, and then, only if Adi said there was truly nothing between them.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” T’Claude said. He led them out of the narrow alley and into the mass of moving bodies that was the French Quarter. They walked down Dumaine, with Adi sandwiched between them. When they reached Bourbon Street, they turned and walked to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop.
It was dark, only candles lighting the place. They sat at a table away from the piano so they could talk without interruption. Griffith ordered a bottle of wine, figuring they could all use some. Adi was quiet, and the look of fear was gone, but she seemed deflated.
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